Techflex recommendation

[PSU80]

I'm looking for some advice from anyone that's used techflex sleeving or a similar product. I'm looking to put some sleeving on some Belden 10ga speaker wire to dress them up a bit. The wire is 0.356 inches in diameter. I'm wondering what size sleeving would work best. Based on the specs it appears anything from 1/4, 3/8 or 1/2 inch would potentially work. I want as little of the wire to show through as possible so I'm thinking I would want to stretch the sleeving as little as possible to keep from spreading the weave apart. I've never worked with the stuff so I have no idea what to expect.

Thanks

Nominal Size Expansion Range
Min Max
1/4" 1/8 7/16
3/8" 3/16 1/2
1/2" 1/4 3/4

 

[dkane360]

I used 3/8ths i believe on my 12 ga monoprice, and the white outer jack shows through a little bit. 2 passes of techflex would definitely look nicer, and is probably what I'll do next time.

I bought this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/3-8-BRAIDED-EXPANDABLE-SLEEVING-BLACK-GOLD-TECHFLEX25-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem35abea1415QQitemZ230517511189QQptZCarQ5fAudioQ5fVideo

It looks nice, but the gold weaving is cheap and sometimes comes undone out of the techflex. It bothered me at first, but I don't really think about it now since its stationary.

 

[billy p]

Having done my speaker cables using the stuff..I would suggest to buy it as close as you can to the actual diameter/or size of the cable you're working with otherwise the smaller diameter will not only show through but you'll need more of it, due to the expansion. Fwiw...I bought all my stuff from partsexpress becaue they have a wide selection of colors and sizes, shrink wrap and cable pants too..and the best part with them is they sell smaller/shorter lenghts for projects such as this.

 

[j_garcia]

Having done my speaker cables using the stuff..I would suggest to buy it as close as you can to the actual diameter/or size of the cable you're working with otherwise the smaller diameter will not only show through but you'll need more of it, due to the expansion. Fwiw...I bought all my stuff from partsexpress becaue they have a wide selection of colors and sizes, shrink wrap and cable pants too..and the best part with them is they sell smaller/shorter lenghts for projects such as this.

+1 what both of them said.

 

[PSU80]

Thanks for the responses. dcane, I was actually planning on using the same stuff you used, the uptown gold, but it sounds as though you weren't totally happy with it. If you had it to do over would you use the gold stripe again or go with a solid color like maybe carbon? Also, you suggested 2 layers. How hard do you think it will be to get the 2nd sleeve over the first. I was thinking maybe the first sleeve should be a smaller diameter so it fits tighter and the 2nd sleeve might go on smoother without bunching up the first. Thoughts?

 

[j_garcia]

Though it is intended to provide a little protection, in the case of speaker cables it really doesn't do much besides improving appearance. I probably wouldn't bother with a second layer of it, but that's just me. I used this stuff in engineering applications for machinery long before the audio community started using it.

 

[dkane360]

Thanks for the responses. dcane, I was actually planning on using the same stuff you used, the uptown gold, but it sounds as though you weren't totally happy with it. If you had it to do over would you use the gold stripe again or go with a solid color like maybe carbon? Also, you suggested 2 layers. How hard do you think it will be to get the 2nd sleeve over the first. I was thinking maybe the first sleeve should be a smaller diameter so it fits tighter and the 2nd sleeve might go on smoother without bunching up the first. Thoughts?

I like the look of the black with the gold through it, just be careful that you dont start pulling the gold threads out. It might be difficult to get the second layer on unless you use a hot knife to cut it, because the techflex tends to unravel. As j_garcia said though, it probably isnt necessary to do a second layer. Just make sure you get the right size that wont show through. I believe there is also a braiding material similar to techflex that is thicker and won't show through. I'm blanking on the name though.

 

[dkane360]

On another note, wirecare.com has a huge selection of techflex and associated items. I've never ordered from there, but probably will next time I need/want some.